Starting New
by KaiaLuna
Summary: Short story I wrote a while ago. Hermione wakes up after the war a different person, with the blessing of her friends she becomes who she should always have been to escape the past and discover who she was as herself instead of a third and instead of a lie she'd always believed.


Hermione stared at her reflection, touching her face with a trembling hand. In the mirror she saw her best friend come in beside her. His expression was solemn as he moved to sit on the edge of the tub. She moved next to him and he took her hand.

"Harry." Her voice was low and wavered, its tenor sounding different to her own ears.

"Are you ok?" He whispered.

She shook her head, "I'm not really sure."

She looked over at the mirror again, her bushy mouse brown hair had loosened into only a slight wave making her long hair seem even longer, it was several shades darker and her tan skin was a shade paler, her eyes, large and almond shaped only their color not changing from the warm hazel they'd always been. She was no taller or shorter but her curves had filled out leaving her waist looking tapered and her rear rounder and breasts larger. She spilled out of her b cup bra and now wore a borrowed c from Fleur.

"You're still you." Harry told her squeezing her hand.

"Am I?" Hermione questioned.

"Of course." Harry confirmed, his voice stern. "You are Hermione, my very best friend, and the smartest witch of our age."

Hermione nodded letting out a little laugh, "I don't even recognize myself Harry, I walked in here and saw my reflection and scared myself. It's been a week and I still feel like a stranger is in the mirror."

"I do." He told her after a minute.

"Do what?"

"Recognize you."

She gave him a skeptical look and he smiled, "You have the same expressions, even if they are on a different face and your eyes, those are still exactly yours."

Hermione hugged her friend and let him pull her up and out of the bathroom, away from the mirror.

"What do we tell people Harry?"

"Nothing." Harry shook his head. "No one needs to know anything."

"Morning Harry. Mione." Ron came into the hall yawning, barely glancing at them and then doing a double take of his female friend before blushing brilliantly and heading down the stairs.

Hermione and Harry laughed following him down. None of the Weasley's treated her any differently than always, well George teased her about being so gorgeous and that was new and sometimes Ron would look at her and blush but mostly to them all, she was just, Hermione.

She had woken up the day after the final battle and screamed upon seeing herself in the mirror looking like a completely different person. Once the occupants of 12 Grimmauld Place had calmed down a bit, Kingsley was called. It didn't take long to get all the information, they looked a few places, tugged on a few loose threads in some records and solved an eighteen year old crime.

Hermione Granger, born Analise Nott, was kidnapped from the nursery she shared with twin brother Theodore Nott at the age of seven months, her mother was found murdered at the foot of the crib the twins shared, her son bawling and alone inside it. The fall of the dark lord only a few months later brought the only word of the missing girl the family ever received. _You never deserved a child. I considered taking your heir but knowing you, I took your little Princess instead. The little bitch you married got in the way and now you've lost your Lord, little wife and what is her name? Ah well the grave need not be marked, a lost little brat in a muggle graveyard._ Hermione had read the letter in the file Kingsley held several times.

"The witch was a half-blood, Aoife (*Ee-fa). Nott had carried on an affair with her for years before marrying his second wife. His first had passed, along with their child, during labor, do to a complication some years before. Catalina was much younger than him, a Spanish pureblood, they had some trouble conceiving but three years into the marriage she gave birth to her twins. This letter was found with Aoife's body, Theodore Nott on the envelope. There were photos around her flat of her and Theodore over the years but also of him where Catalina had been removed, their wedding, walking in Diagon Alley, she was obsessed. A blanket with your name embroidered was found in an empty bassinet. No body was ever found but because of the note, the case was closed."

Harry and Ron had each taken one of her hands during the telling. "How'd she end up with muggles then?" Ginny asked from Harry's other side.

Kingsley sighed, "I spoke with the muggle Prime Minister as well and he's been able to locate a case from the same time where a child was abandoned on the steps of a church in Kent. One of the nun's had a brother whose wife was unable to conceive. Arrangements were made and a birth certificate procured and Hermione Granger went home with her new family."

"How come she's changed now though?" Molly spoke up sending Hermione a comforting smile, "You are quite beautiful dear but shouldn't she have changed when she became of age, any glamour would have ended."

"It was not a glamour spell, though I do believe she has been getting at least twice yearly doses of a specific and very old potion."

"How would I be getting that?" Hermione frowned, "Why would it have worn off now?"

Kingsley looked grim again, "I would gather the potion, well, my guess, and it is only a guess." Kingsley hesitated. "I don't believe Aiofe left you at that church."

"Who?" Ron asked, all of them frowning at him in thought.

"Another witch, even a squib could produce this potion if they read about any older potions or learned from family." Kingsley shrugged. "I believe Aoife left you in that cradle, the note on the desk so everything would be found together, it was…"

"Kingsley?" Hermione questioned nervously.

"The photos of the place, it, well the flat looked, it was as if."

"She staged it, the cradle, the photos, it was the home they could have shared." Molly connected the dots before anyone else.

Kingsley just nodded, "I believe so." He signed, "If that's the case then someone saved Hermione, Analise, and left her on those steps, with her looks altered."

"Doesn't explain why she's all," Ron waved at her with the hand not holding her, "gorgeous now." Then he blushed, "I mean, um."

"It's alright Ronald." Hermione assured him, squeezing his hand.

"She died in the final battle." Harry piped in, "Didn't she? The witch that did it?"

Kinglsey nodded slowly, "From what we know of the potion and spell possibly used, yes, I would be led to believe the witch or wizard in question did not survive."

Hermione nodded, her face pale as she absorbed all the information, it wasn't until much later she had any reaction to it all, crying herself to sleep in Harry's arms while Ron rubbed her back awkwardly.

A week later and Hermione was still unsure what to do about any of it. Thankfully Kingsley had been able to keep everything quiet and because she hadn't left number 12 only the Weasley's had seen her. She couldn't hide forever, she was a war heroine for one, people would notice and for another, she'd been invited back to school to finish her final year.

"Harry." Hermione sighed, "It's not like we can just pretend I always looked like this and nothing's happened and once the press knows and oh god Harry, my father is a death eater!" Harry chuckled and shook his head, "It's not funny!" She glared at him and Harry held up his hands.

"Just a minute." He held up his hands, "It's probably the stupidest idea ever but well, Ron and I were talking and I know I'd love it, though Ron would hate it, I think you'll be more like me so it's a good thing."

"Harry?" Hermione frowned at him trying to work out what he was talking about.

"He's trying to say, you could just not tell anyone for a while." Ginny smiled at her coming into the kitchen. "Kingsley can keep it quiet, no one would even suspect."

"Hermione Granger could go back to the muggle world for a while and you could come back to school as, well as this you." Harry grinned at her, "No Golden Trio Heroine, gawking admirers and harassing well wishers and reporters and questions." He sighed, "Just you and Hogwarts and a break from, well I suppose a break from being you." He blushed, "It's stupid I know, I just."

Hermione cut him off, "It's not stupid Harry."

"You want to not be famous?" Ron stared at her, "You are as nutters as Harry Mione, why either of you want to be someone else, we should be recognized, we saved the world!"

"Harry did." Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother sipping his tea and magicked the pot to pour herself a cup, "And it's not nutters, you want the fame fine, enjoy it, Harry wants to just be Harry for a little while, not the boy-who-lived or the savior, no more stress or fear or fighting. He can't really have that though and Mione can, at least for a little while," Ginny smiled gently at her older friend, "if you want that Mione."

Hermione smiled back and nodded feeling a bit relieved, "That would be nice." She turned back to Harry; "It's a great idea Harry but how?"

"Professor, well Headmistress McGonagall would have to know but she and Kings would be able to keep it secret, you could be put in all your classes and write your NEWTs as Analise, it would all be legal too because you are Analise and the wizarding world can just be told that you wanted, needed time and disappeared into the muggle world, maybe to find your parents. Ron, Gin and I could even pretend to send you letters sometimes."

"Except that she'd still have to be Analise Nott." Ron made a face.

"She's still Hermione Ronald." Ginny hissed at her brother.

"I know." He colored glaring at her, "I just meant to the world she'd be Analise."

"Exactly." Ginny nodded, "She'd have time to get used to it before it's all Hermione Granger is Analise Nott and the press and the pressure and the… everything."

"Right." Ronald sighed, "What I mean is, she's still going to be Analise NOTT!" He shouted at his sister, "Theodore Nott's long lost twin sister! Mysteriously lost and reappeared and who was she before that if not Hermione Granger!"

"Right." Ginny colored, "I didn't think about that bit.

"Me neither." Harry sighed comforting his girlfriend.

"I have." Molly stepped into the kitchen and sent a glare to Ron, "George is still sleeping, keep your voice down."

"Yes mum." Ron colored even more.

Molly just turned her attention to Hermione, "It's actually something Arthur and I talked with Kingsley about and if you want to go back to school and not have to deal with this whole thing right away then we will find you a way."

Hermione nodded smiling gratefully at the woman, "How?"

"We tell most of the truth and nothing of the rest." Molly said setting about making breakfast, "Analise was kidnapped and saved from Aoife's apartment, she was raised as a muggleborn. Hermione Granger is not returning to Howarts, there are several who aren't and some muggle borns were lost in the war so no one should make any immediate connection. It's all been a great shock, you were part of the war and lost plenty and you don't wish to talk about any of it." Hermione nodded, it was so simple and yet brilliant.

"Now." Molly turned to Harry, "As for you." She smiled sadly at him, "You are you and won't be becoming someone else." He nodded giving her a smile but before he could say anything she continued, "You can and do deserve some time away from this though and we've a guest for breakfast bringing a surprise for all four of you."

It was Bill and Fleur that joined them for breakfast, Fleur kissed all their cheeks and then produced a glass rose from the pocket of her robe, "Zis is a portkey to my zummer 'ome in France, is vineyard, tiny village is not to far, very old, very French, very muggle, Riquewihr in Alsace vous visite, please." She turned to Harry, "Please. You all rest and heal. My family, we are your family with Beel, let me to do this. No one but Weasley and Delacour know so you are free from," she waved her hand, "everyzing a while."

Grateful all four hugged both of them, accepting after only a moments hesitation. So it came to be, the two youngest Weasley siblings, with Harry and Hermione, spent the summer in France, the summer home, was actually an old castle surrounded by fields and fields of grapes. They were pampered by the three house elves that worked there and went into the muggle village several times, it was quant with tiny cobble stone streets and beautiful old buildings and no one, not one person they saw the entire summer knew any one of them.

The drama around Hermione, or Analise as she, well all of them were getting used to, so not to slip up at school, had distracted them all for a few weeks but the grieving and nightmares from the war was always in the background and slowly haunted them and their dreams more and more. They spent long hours awake at night, sometimes talking, sometimes reliving their better memories or making future plans to distract themselves but often times just being together, each processing their grief and trying to heal.

By August they still had nightmares and their hearts still held the memories of so many lost but they had, as their family had hoped, begun to cope and even to heal. Returning to England was a media splash but Ron, who loved the spot light, deflected from Harry who hated it and of course the arrival of the long thought dead Analise Nott was big as well. The last two weeks before start of term were hectic and exhausting but it kept any of them from focusing to much on feelings of happiness or depression on returning to the still under repair school where they had lost so much.

Hermione… Analise's, father, was in Azkaban but had been informed of his daughter's return. She chose not to visit him. Theo Nott had also been informed his twin sister was not only alive all these years but in England and would be attending Hogwarts for her final year. She had, he had been informed by none other than the minister himself, been raised as a muggleborn and never knew of her adoption or the twin who'd spent his life knowing, feeling, everyday, half of his soul was missing.

People stared as Analise arrived at the platform, she found a compartment on the train and found Neville Longbottom poking his head in a moment later.

"Sorry, thought this one was empty. I'll find another."

"No, please." She motioned to the empty compartment, "There's room."

"I'm Neville." He smiled at her. "Neville Longbottom."

"Analise Nott."

"Yeah," He nodded, "I read it." He looked stricken, eyes wide and face pale, the opposite to an embarrassed Weasley, "Sorry, I meant, I mean, it's nice to meet you Miss Nott."

"You as well." Hermione smiled at him.

Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley joined them for the ride and they chatted fairly easily until it was time to change into robes, then with somber faces they, along with most all others on the train, watched out the windows, remembering.

Analise was to be sorted and the hall murmured as she stood at the front with the Headmistress while the students sat at their house tables.

"Miss Nott." The headmistress smiled kindly and motioned to the stool.

"Never, ever have I ever sorted twice." The hat sang out as the Headmistress picked it up, "So many changes and so much healing, good will finally come, some painful healing and fresh beginnings. Laughter will return to Hogwarts."

The crowd murmured, whispering about who Analise Nott could have been before, the hat confirming she'd indeed been a student at Hogwarts, but in what house, which muggleborn, no longer walking these halls, was the muggleborn?

 _Sorted once where your pure, loyal and brave heart fit. I could place you here again, or"_ The hat mused in her head, _It was Ravenclaw I first debated, your brilliant mind would do well, have you no request? Still a Gryffindor heart and a Ravenclaw mind, but time for a change for us all. "RAVENCLAW."_ The hat called out.

Hermione stood somewhat surprised as she headed over to the cheering Ravenclaw table, she sat next to Luna who sent her a welcoming smile before turning her attention to the opening doors and the first years yet to be sorted.

Each house got a few new students but the tables were shockingly sparse of older students. So many lives lost in the war, others choosing not to return. Hermione followed Luna to the tower and listened to the riddle. The common room was much like Gryffindor's but for the color scheme and with more bookshelves lining the walls and comfy chairs good for reading more than sofa's to lounge and chat. The dorm was exactly the same, but again of course for the color scheme.

"Goodnight Analise." Luna smiled at her and shut her blinds. Hermione heard the incantation for a silencing charm, nightmares were not new to her and took the blondes example as advice and cast the same charm on her own bed.

They got their schedules and began classes, Hermione found Luna to be as unique as ever but the girl proved to be quite intelligent as well, which ought not to be surprising as she was a Ravenclaw but somehow the dreamy blond didn't give the air of a studious type anymore than Neville had of a brave heart. The girls became good friends, the first Hermione had truly had, asides from Ginny. Hermione missed being with Harry and Ron as they had been glued to each others sides for so many years but while they were friendly they were not as openly close and being in different houses meant they were not always together. Ginny, being friends with Luna, saw Hermione more but still not as much as before.

It was a full week before Theo approached her in the library. "Analise?" His voice was quiet and she sent him a tentative and questioning smile as she looked up at him.

"Theo?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before motioning to a chair. Hermione nodded and watched as he sat, alternating between glancing at her and staring out the window.

"All my life I thought you were dead." He finally told her. "All my life I knew, I felt that part of me missing."

"I'm sorry Theo."

"I was trying to wait for you to come talk to me, I know this must be hard for you too, waking up someone else."

"Yes."

"Did I know you before?"

"Not well." Hermione shook her head.

Theo smirked, "I didn't know many people well."

"Why is that?"

"Loner by nature." He shrugged and then looked at her, "There's this place, this dark hole, I filled it with you growing up. I met other kids, pureblood families like Draco and Blaise, but Father left me alone for the most part. Our mother," Theo swallowed, "she wasn't around to socialize with the other women, to take me with her for visits. So it was me, and the house elves, Tinka practically raised me and I think even he worried about my sanity growing up."

"Why?" Hermione found herself barely breathing as she listened to his low voice.

Theo stared out the window not looking at her as he spoke, "I talked to you, when I played I pretended I played games with you, I'd read to you and even buy you presents for our birthday." Theo smirked at a bird flying past, "I suppose you were my imaginary friend, only I didn't grow out of you the way a little kid should, I don't pretend to play games with you anymore but I write to you, in my journal, a few times over the war I even talked to you. I suppose I imagined whatever came after this, you'd be waiting for me, hear me, like praying to Merlin. Now here you are." He finally turned to look at her again, "I'm sorry no one looked for you. I'm sorry that I didn't know you were alive and mostly I am very sorry for however I treated you before I knew you were my twin." Theo sent her a wry smile, "I'm not sure if I completely ignored you or was openly rude, I could have been either but probably a little of both. It really wasn't personal, I mean, not just because you are you." Theo sighed, "Look, I don't know anything about you and you don't know anything about me but I would really like to know you."

Hermione stared at him unsure what to say before slowly nodding, "Ok."

"Good." Theo smiled at her, "So I had an idea."

She frowned at him in question, "For us to get to know each other? I wouldn't think we'd need a plan. Most people do just talk."

"Right." Theo nodded, "But you are my long lost twin sister and we come from two different worlds so we can talk until we're blue but I won't understand you and you wont understand me until we know those worlds."

"What exactly are you talking about?" Hermione questioned, a little intrigued but also very unsure about trusting the Slytherin.

"You teach me about the muggle world, and I promise to be a gentleman about it and keep the prejudice I grew up with to a minimum if you let me teach you about Pureblood society and keep your prejudice to a minimum."

"My prejudice!" Hermione hissed.

"Yes." Theo just nodded glaring at her, "You grew up a muggleborn which means everything you know about us is about as skewed as anything I know about muggles and the very fact that you learned who you were several months ago and we have been in this school for a week but haven't even looked at me, means you don't trust me because I'm a pureblood, a Slytherin and the son of a Death Eater. You have ideas about who and what I and others like me are like and that is prejudice Analise."

Hermione gaped at him, unable to argue before finally closing her mouth and nodding, "Fine, I'll try to keep an open mind."

Theo nodded, leaning back in his chair with a small smile, "I'm a loner by nature, or maybe it's more by nurture so I don't have a lot of friends, I like books and I don't have a girl friend. I already told you my best friend growing up was my imaginary twin sister so I think it's your turn."

"I don't have a lot of friends either. I never fit in with my peers but I have a few very good ones, they're more like family. I love books and as you would know I don't have a boyfriend and I didn't before," she waved at herself, "this."

"Who were you before?" Theo asked sitting back.

"A muggleborn." Hermione replied with a shrug, "Does it really matter what my name was?"

Theo frowned at her, "You don't want me to know?"

Hermione shook her head, "I don't want anyone to know, at least not right now. Only the ones that couldn't be avoided know anything about this, I just want time to be comfortable with it all in my own head, in my own skin really and then I can worry about the other people in my life and them knowing I'm Analise."

Theo nodded though a light frown still knit his brows together, "Ok, but can you still teach me about your world and you while hiding who you are or were?"

"Yes." Hermione assured him, "How I can do that from here, is another matter."

"Teaching you about Pureblood society wont be the easiest here either but we'll make the most and you know, talk. Then there is the holidays and after graduation, I mean it's not like we'll know each other, understand each other over night, but we're twins and we're together now, so we have time."

Hermione nodded and smiled at him as he stood, "Theo?"

"Analise?" He turned back curiosity in his eyes.

"My only friend growing up was an imaginary boy, I called him Sebastian."

Theo smiled at her and nodded before leaving the library. Hermione tried to focus but found it difficult, instead she pulled out fresh parchment and wrote to her two best friends.

The following morning, _Analise_ received an owl. Hermione slipped it into her pocket recognizing the writing. When she had a moment alone she opened the envelope to find a letter for her from Harry.

 _Ana,_

 _Still getting used to that. I'm to write very clearly and pointedly that you should absolutely not trust any Slytherin even if he is your brother. Red is still muttering about what tricks he could be playing. My girl, is glaring at him because she says he might be a Slytherin prat but the sister he thought was dead is alive and snake or not of course he wants to know you and even if he is a death eater's son he sounds like he's trying and you are smart enough not to let him play you. So I've relayed both of their opinions or the gist of it and in less colorful terms, you know the family. Lol. Listen, I can't really say what you should do, Theo's right, we have our own prejudice. I don't trust the Slytherin's but we really don't know anything about him, and only know the bad about the pureblood culture. As your best friend, someone who considers you like a sister himself, I can say if I woke up one day and was told I actually did have a sister, I'd want to know her, even if it turned out she was, I don't know, Pansy Parkinson. Besides, isn't this partly why no one knows you are you? So you can adjust to being Analise and know who you are, not just who you were but who you were meant to be? Then you can decide for yourself who you want to be. Whatever you decide, you are now and always my best friend and sister. Remember we all love you._

 _HRG_

HRG? Hermione giggled, instead of signing it or leaving recognizable initials he'd used one of each, Harry was pretty brilliant at times.

Hermione wrote them back, _HRG. Thanks for the advice. I suppose I knew what I should do which is why I agreed, tell Red I'll be careful and your girl thanks for the confidence in me. I love you all so much. Analise._

In class Theo seemed to make a note of sitting near her and occasionally he'd send her a smile or walk her to another class and ask a mundane get to know you question, like what her favorite color was. They took turns at this, one question at meals or between a class. They talked about books they read growing up and classes they enjoyed, careers they were considering and places they wanted to travel.

"So muggle lessons first." He said after a couple days.

"Really?" Hermione looked at him a little surprised.

Theo shrugged, "I figured you would insist on it, incase I was being Slytherin and going to make you focus on pureblood stuff while avoiding it with the bare minimums."

Hermione laughed and nodded, "I did think that."

"So muggle lessons, tomorrow?"

"Sure." Hermione smiled at him, "I'll think of something and meet you in the Great Hall after breakfast."

"Great, I also asked the new muggle studies teacher if we could use her class since it's the weekend."

Hermione smiled at him again and moved towards Ravenclaw table, he did seem to keep surprising her.

After breakfast Hermione stood and looked over to Theo, immediately he got up and met her at the door, "I can wait if you aren't finished."

Theo shook his head, "I'm all done, thank you."

"So muggles…"Hermione started, she'd been trying to think about what to teach him but televisions and cars and air planes just didn't seem to explain anything about her."

"What type of lessons are you given before school?" Theo tried to help her along.

Hermione frowned, "Well we learn most things in school really."

Theo shook his head, "Even I know muggles are taught before Hogwarts or you'd all come in true dunderheads, clearly your mum or tutor taught you to read and write."

"No." Hermione shook her head and laughed realizing just how different things were, "I went to school. Muggles begin school very young, first its half days where we learn games to teach us how to count and the alphabet. Then we go full days, eight hours of lessons, we learn to read and write, arithmetic, geography, history…" Hermione explained primary school and told him stories about her experiences with classmates and then her family, baking cookies with her mum and trips to the beach in the summer or the zoo on a weekend." She talked and he asked questions all day, sometimes when she was talking she had to stop to explain something muggle, like the television and even the lending library. Wizards bought books or borrowed from friends, they didn't do public lending.

The entire month Theo would ask her questions about growing up and about muggle London, her house, her school, her ballet lessons, holidays, telephones, computers, movies and television.

It was now almost November and Theo had begun asking questions that seemed odder and odder, what she was supposed to wear at certain times of the day or to certain events or on holidays, what manners were taught, marriage and dating and what one did when not in any lessons or without obligations. He was asking about society, different levels of classes, muggle history even.

"I think it's your turn." Hermione smiled at him one morning as they walked from Ancient Runes to Potions.

Theo grinned at her, "Thank Merlin, my head was maybe going to explode with all the muggle information crammed inside it though I still have lots of questions I think I need to see a televisor and teletalk first though, and this mussy-him thingy and you know I bet some of the thingys are the same, or close to, like the spa and maybe muggles shops."

"You've never been to muggle London at all?" Hermione asked for probably the hundredth time.

"Nope." Theo shook his head, "I've been to Kings Cross of course, loads of strange muggles there but I swear, I've never seen a muggle store or walked a muggle street or even been in a muggle building."

"How do you get to the Ministry, surely you've had to go there."

"For dad's trial of course." Theo nodded somberly, "I've been a few other times with dad and we use the floo of course or side along apparition to places in part muggle areas like Kings Cross."

"Strange." Hermione shook her head.

"Right." Theo nodded, "So pureblood society." He sighed, " don't really know where to start.

"I didn't either." Hermione smiled at him encouragingly, "You said wizards don't have primary?"

"Right." Theo grinned at her, "When we are four, or that is the traditional age some are older, anyways about then, a tutor is hired unless you can't afford one then it's the mum's job or the house elves, they teach us some of the rudimentary things like arithmetic, family lineages and potions ingredients. The tutor taught me reading and writing, how to ride a broom, posture and decorum…"

"Posture and decorum?" Hermione interrupted. Theo nodded and continued giving her in depth explanations, by Halloween Hermione felt like her head was spinning with all the information, learning it had even distracted her from her studies some.

By Christmas Hermione was sure they knew as much about each other as most of the other people in their lives, save maybe Harry and Ron, okay mostly Harry but only because he was ever so slightly more observant than Ron.

"So Christmas holidays." Theo began, sitting next to her at their usual spot in the library.

"What about them?"

"It's two weeks" He shrugged, "I figure we can do the muggle thing for a week and the pureblood thing for a week. You show me your world and I'll show you mine."

Hermione hesitated but eventually agreed and so they took the train, sitting in a compartment with Luna and Neville, who'd begun to date. Theo read mostly ignoring the other two but he wasn't rude about it either, he said hello and opened his book and then wished them both happy holidays when they reached the station.

Hermione led him through the station to a taxi and directed it to a flat she'd purchased in August.

"I haven't really moved in yet." Hermione blushed as she led him inside,

"What about where you grew up?"

"My par… the people who raised me don't live there anymore." She looked away biting her lip, "they died in the war."

"I'm sorry." He whispered gently.

Hermione nodded, "Thank you." After an awkward moment she led him through the flat to a guest room.

"It's big." Theo commented as he unpacked his clothes with his wand.

"It was meant for me and a couple friends." She admitted, having bought it with Ron and Harry, the three planning to move in after graduating instead of returning to Grimmauld. The boys were spending the holiday at the newly rebuilt Burrow though and were happy to let her use the place for her week of muggle holiday. Theo watched everything, saying very little, as he had from leaving the train station, he ordered what she ordered and asked a quiet question here and there, he was polite to any muggles he had to interact with but mostly just followed her around quietly observing her and everything around them. She took him ice skating and to Christmas shop in muggle stores, they put up a tree, decorating it the muggle way and made Christmas cookies in her oven, watching a Christmas movie each night, she even took him to a couple museums which he still seemed fascinated by, that was ok with her as she'd always loved them too. Christmas morning they opened presents and sipped hot chocolate, they stayed in pajamas half the day and then went for a walk in the city, which seemed all but abandoned.

Finally the week came to an end and they packed up their things to spend the following week at his home.

"Sad to be leaving?" Theo asked as he levitated his trunk to the sitting room where they would apparate to his home.

Hermione shook her head, "No, I just, I suppose I'm nervous." She told him taking his offered arm so he could apparate them both.

"Everything will be fine Ana, I did ok here right? I mean its not like you know nothing about our world but what I've told you."

"True." She agreed.

She felt the familiar pressure in her stomach of appartition and they arrived at the gates of a large stone manor house. Theo led her inside and it took the rest of the day for him to show her around and unpack. They are supper in the kitchen and Hermione was glad to have a chance to relax a little.

"So tomorrow things will be a bit more formal, more society. We'll have to get something to wear for the New Year Ball, all noble and notable purebloods must attend and a different society lady holds it each year, this year its at the Greengrass estate. He smirked at her, "no more breakfast in pajamas and supper in the kitchen." Then he laughed, "That's a lie, I mean, I'll show you all the proper things but I like to eat in the kitchen when it's just me and I figure you will to, everything isn't all stuffy and uptight, I promise." Theo led her up to her room, well rooms, it had its own sitting room, the closet was as large as her bedroom in her flat and had a large mirrored vanity and even a settee, a bathroom and her bedroom.

In the morning a house elf woke her opening the blinds, the little thing giggled and curtsied and helped her pick out an outfit. Then she was led to the breakfast room where Theo looking very slick in his black trousers and dress shirt.

"Good morning Ana."

"Morning Theo." Hermione smiled at him.

"You look lovely."

"Thank you." She fiddled with the skirt, "It's something I'd wear to supper at a nice restaurant usually."

"I know." Theo sighed and nodded.

"You got muggle track pants and jeans Theo, I really appreciate that you tried and I will too." He smiled at her and nodded to the table.

Hermione sat and a plate appeared in front of her, "It's only for a bit, then we can try to find a way to coexist, both of our worlds in one."

Hermione smiled at him and nodded, then frowned, "Theo?"

"Yes Ana?"

"Is that what you want out of this?"

He frowned at her in question, turning in his chair to face her, "Isn't that the point Ana? You're my sister, I want to be a part of your life, to know you. Our past was stolen but we can make a new future and neither of us is alone anymore, we are family."

Hermione nodded, smiling to reassure him even as her mind spun, "I want to know you to Theo, to be part of your life."

"You just don't want us to be a family." Theo said after a moment.

"I'm your sister Theo, we are family." He just gave a tight nod and stood dropping the napkin in his lap onto his plate, which disappeared instantly, only half eaten. "Theo?"

"I'm finished. I've some work to do and then we'll go to Diagon Alley for dress robes for the party."

Hermione nodded watching him walk away, she knew she'd hurt him but even though she liked him, she wasn't sure how much a part of her life she wanted him to be, how much a part of her life she wanted Analise to be. They still seemed like two people to her, Analise and Hermione, she was both but they weren't the same.

Hermione picked at breakfast but mostly just sipped at coffee until a house elf came to tell her that when she was ready so was Theo.

They met in the sitting room and apparated to Diagon Alley. Theo took her into shops she'd never been in before and Hermione picked out a few things including a fancy dress for the New Years Ball.

That evening they were having dinner with the Greengrasses and Theo informed her his father and Daphne's had been discussing a betrothal though nothing had been set. A contract could not be made without their consent but it was still proper for him to court the idea as it was what both families had wanted.

"Would there have been talks for me?" Hermione asked with a furrowed brow as they wandered the bookstore.

"There were." Theo nodded, "You were to be matched with Draco, Blaise or Marcus."

Hermione made a face and Theo laughed, "I got Pansy, Millicent and Daphne. Pansy is, well a right minger to be honest. Milly is actually great, but I don't think I could rise to the occasion of providing an heir with her. Daph, well she is the prettiest of them, hasn't had a snog with half my mates and far as I know is alright. So." He shrugged.

"You mean you'd marry her?"

Theo laughed, "Love does come into it a little Ana, I have a duty to carry on the line and yes there is pressure for the line to stay pure but it's not like we do arranged marriages or have to marry straight away. It is encouraged not required, like the difference between a duty and a law."

"Right."

"Besides, mum picked them." He sighed. "I wish I could remember her, she was so beautiful in all her photos, Spanish decent, well half, you have her eyes, I look more English."

Hermione squeezed his arm in comfort. Theo had told her a little about their mom but he didn't know a lot and it seemed to be painful for him to talk about so she didn't ask much.

The Greengrass's were very welcoming and Hermione tried to remember all the manners Theo had tried to teach her but it was bred into these women to be so graceful. She didn't think she embarrassed herself though. She'd never spoken to Daphne really, the girl hadn't been cruel to her and her sister Astoria was a year younger and Hermione hadn't taken note of her at all. Their family had been sympathizers but not Death Eaters and Hermione found that she liked the girls, though their father seemed a bit cold and their mother seemed distracted.

They had lunch with Millicent Bulstrode and Hermione was surprised the girl wasn't dumber than a post like she'd suspected, nor was the larger girl cruel. When she smiled she was actually quite pretty and without mocking students around she smiled often and chatted easily with Hermione once she seemed to decide she wouldn't be taunted, teased or harassed.

On the way home Hermione was speculative, "I was a mudblood, Millicent was fat but it was the same thing wasn't it?" She asked Theo once they'd settled in the kitchen with tea.

"Milly didn't have respite in her house Ana, her house were the usually the cruelest. I suppose it's why we became friends, I never teased her."

"She is really pretty Theo, when she smiles."

"I know." He frowned at her and then shook his head; "I didn't mean it like that Ana, when I said I could never… do that with her… Milly is beautiful. One of the most beautiful witches I know, she's a bigger girl but her smile is truly lovely and her laugh… it just makes you want to laugh with her but she's also fun and funny and really wonderful. I wish I felt like that about her because she'd be an amazing wife but Milly, she sort of shrunk that hole, the one filled with you. She's my sister Ana and I'm glad you can see what I do because outside Hogwarts, away from all the people so awful to her, she's one of the best people I know."

Hermione got up and hugged Theo, "I'm glad she at least had you in that house."

"Me too." He told her hugging her back.

The rest of the week went by quickly and soon the night of the ball was upon them, Hermione dressed very carefully, the dress robes she chose were sleeveless with a sweetheart top in a pale lavender, it was almost iridescent shimmering with lavender and indigo, it fell to the floor with an empire-waist with a black band under her bust tight to her ribs showing how tiny she was. She put her long hair up in a side chignon and placed the necklace Theo had given her for Christmas, it was platinum, crystal and pearl, she put in matching crystal earrings.

Theo grinned at her as she came into the sitting room, "Lovely." He told her.

In his dress robes he looked dashing and she made sure to tell him so as well before he carefully put her hand through his arm and apparated them to the Greengrass Manor. Hermione tried not to blush as people stared at them, the twins certainly made a handsome sight.

Theo introduced her to his house mates, he knew she knew them all from school but he'd spent his time alone with her so while she knew of them, she didn't know them and most of what she knew was from her life as a mud… muggleborn.

"Lovely." Blaise watched her as she talked with the Greengrass sisters.

"Stunning." Draco agreed smirking at her.

"Don't even think about it." Theo growled at them both.

Both men smiled at him with shining eyes, "Thinking isn't doing mate." Draco turned back to her with a leer, "I can't help thinking."

Theo elbowed him in the ribs, hard, "Try."

Blaise laughed, "She's gorgeous Theo, it's hard not to notice her but you know we'll be perfect gentleman in her company."

Theo snorted and rolled his eyes, "Then do me a favor and keep in her company because Flint, Pucey, Higgs and Blishwick look to be a step from seeing the wrong end of my wand."

"Easy favor." Draco smirked.

"Drake." Theo growled.

"Relax." Draco rolled his eyes at his friend, "I have Pans to play with and mother is making noises about me courting a nice young witch soon."

"They have anyone in mind?"

"From the start." Draco nodded to confirm, "Pans of course and she's panting after the Malfoy ring. Astoria Greengrass, never much spoken to her and Tracey Davis, didn't you date her a while Blaise?"

Blaise shrugged, "Bit of a slag."

"Don't my parents know how to pick them." Draco snorted.

"Astoria is sweet, probably to good for you." Theo snorted, "Smart and beautiful but a bit prim and shy."

"We've time yet." Draco shrugged off thoughts of marriage and turned his attention back to his friends. "Figure out who she used to be?"

"Ana? No, she hasn't said but I haven't pressed. You know, I've been reading about all the things that went on, you know to some of the muggleborns that didn't come back to school," He looked over at his sister, his expression grim, "I'm not entirely sure I want to know."

Blaise clapped his back and like that all their expressions became unreadable again, "I'll ask her to dance." Theo told them moving over to where she was now sitting with Milly, they seemed to be having a good conversation, both girls smiling, Milly didn't usually smile at these, she sat grim in a corner snacking from one of the little plates and waiting for it to end. "Ana," He smiled at his sister. "Hello Milly."

"Theo." Both women smiled up at him.

"I've just come to see if my lovely twin cared to dance?"

"Oh." Hermione smiled up at Theo, "You know I think I need the loo but Milly I'm sure will take my place, wont you Milly?"

Millicent looked unsure and Theo hesitated only for a moment before holding his hand out to her, "Milly?"

She grinned at him and Theo felt his heart tug, she really was beautiful and while his feet would no doubt suffer, for a smile like that he was almost sorry never to have asked her before.

Hermione watched him lead her to the floor and as they began dancing.

"That was kind of you." Astoria's voice behind her made Hermione startle. "No one dances with Milly."

"So she said." Hermione replied turning to watch her brother some more. "It's a shame boys are so stupid."

"The fit ones tend to be the stupidest." Astoria agreed making Hermione giggle. After a moment the younger girl spoke again, seeming surprised, "I didn't think she could dance. Her father said she had two left feet and always stomped on his."

"I bet the old cudger couldn't dance and blamed it on his daughter."

Astoria nodded, "She's shockingly graceful, I'm not so graceful."

Hermione turned to her, "Do you not dance much?"

Astoria shook her head, "I had to learn of course but I feel so stiff and unsure and don't enjoy it much. Daphne loves to dance and being the older sister, the boys ask her first, its tradition, if she isn't dancing no one can ask me, unless she married that is." Hermione turned to her, a little surprised at the explanation and Astoria blushed, "Theo said he was teaching you some of our customs, being as you weren't raised in society you wouldn't know them."

"Thank you."

"Astoria?" Hermione tensed forcing her expression to remain neutral as she turned to face Draco, she had seen him in school but hadn't spoken at all. "Analise." He bowed his head a little to her, "You both look lovely this evening."

"Thank you." Hermione murmured as Astoria blushed.

"Would you mind terribly if I asked the younger Greengrass away to dance?"

"Of course." Hermione waved at Astoria, "If she wants to go." She tacked on.

Astoria smiled at her and then took Draco's hand for him to lead her to the floor.

Hermione was overwhelmed a moment later when two boys she didn't know and one she remembered for having fouled Harry during Quidditch, surrounded her.

"A dance Analise?" Marcus demanded more than asked, his hand out to her and arrogance floating off of him.

"Sorry Flint, Analise has promise me already."

Marcus glared at Blaise, "The next then."

"Theo." Blaise smirked.

Marcus glared at him harder before turning back to Hermione, "The third then."

"I'm afraid that one is mine as well." Blaise held his hand out to her, "Analise?"

Hermione smiled at him and gave her hand letting him lead her to the floor, "Forgive me Analise, Theo was concerned about Flint's intentions and you looked rather uncomfortable, if you wish to dance with him you are welcome to ask him."

"I don't and thank you for saving me Zabini."

"Blaise." He told her with a slight frown, then a sad smile, "I wasn't very nice to you was I? Before you were you?"

"Not very no." Hermione mentally snorted at the understatement, he wasn't Malfoy mean but still pretty bad.

"I'm sorry Analise. I'd say you have to understand our upbringing but you don't have to do anything, we were cruel children and taught from infancy to be, but reason is no excuse so I hope that you accept my apology even if you cannot truly forgive me."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his speech, "Eloquent and yes, I suppose I can forgive you, Blaise," she hesitated on his name but smiled back when he grinned at her, "I do have to try to understand, for Theo."

Blaise nodded and twirled her around, they danced in quiet but Hermione found herself relaxed and enjoying it.

Theo cut in, giving his mate a frown in question and warning. "What was that?" Hermione asked having caught the look.

"Blaise is one of the few good friends I have, he's my best mate actually and while he and I don't agree on many things, so is Drake, I trust them, but they are blokes Ana, and you are beautiful."

"Thank you Theo but you don't need to worry. Blaise was only dancing with me because he rescued me from Flint asking. He was very persistent."

"Did he ask three times?" Hermione frowned at the question but nodded. Theo chuckled as he remembered she'd know nothing of their customs, "He can only ask for three dances."

"Well, Blaise claimed my first, told him you were promised my second and then claimed my third, wait does that count as his asking me?"

"Yes." Theo nodded, "Drake will ask you as well and possibly his father since your match with Drake is encouraged." Hermione felt herself pale, no way could she dance with Malfoy let alone Malfoy Senior. "Ana?"

"I, I think I'd like to be done dancing." Theo nodded and led her from the floor to get a glass of champaign.

"Dinner should be served soon." Theo watched her worriedly, she seemed very pale to him.

Hermione nodded and noticed Millicent coming over with an angry expression and then Astoria heading over from a little ways away looking worried.

"What happened?" Millicent demanded.

"Nothing." Hermione smiled weakly at her. "I just felt a bit faint."

"Are you sure?" Astoria had reached them, "You look pure white, would you like to go to my room to lie down before supper?"

"No, I, I'm fine." Hermione tried to reassure them but images of her one and only visit to the Malfoy Manor had been playing in her head since Theo had suggested her dancing with Lord Malfoy.

"Please Ana." Theo looked incredibly worried and Hermione felt close to a panic attack as both Blaise and Draco joined them.

"What's going on?" Draco hissed quietly.

"Nothing." Millicent glared at him, "I accidently elbowed Ana in the stomach coming up, Story is going to take her to get some air."

"You are such a spaz." Pansy's shrill voice joined them as she moved up beside Draco, "Come on Drakey, dance with me?"

Draco glared at her but Theo gave him a pointed look before glancing around, the group had drawn some attention and Pansy would draw more. Reluctantly the blond pulled her onto the floor.

"Come on Ana." Astoria wrapped her arm around the petite older girl and Millicent walked ahead clearing the path.

"What happened?" Blaise asked his friend after the girls had left.

"We were talking about dancing and the Malfoy's." Theo told him quietly. "She seemed to disappear inside herself and then started nearly, I don't know, having a panic attack."

"I take it Drake's not her favorite person? He was the worst of us to any mud… muggleborn."

Theo nodded, "I've brought him up before though, both of you, in passing."

"As your friend, not a possible match and not touching her." Blaise shrugged, "Who knows, let's just keep an eye on her."

Theo looked at his friend and then nodded, "Thanks Blaise."

"She's your sister." Blaise responded simply before moving away.

Daphne excused herself from her partner and followed after her sister, knocking gently on the door she let herself in, "Ana? Are you alright?"

"She's better now." Astoria reassured her, "Did we get her out before anyone noticed?"

"I think mother and Narcissa did but the rest are oblivious. What happened?"

"I just, I was feeling faint." Hermione told her weakly.

Daphne nodded but Hermione could see that she, like Astoria and Milly, didn't believe her for a second.

"Supper will start after the next song, Astoria slip into the dining room and make sure Analise and Theo are seated with us. Millicent," Daphne sighed, "I've not been a very nice person to you, I know that but Theo thinks very highly of you and while I'm rich and he's titled and my parents want nothing more than for me to snag him, I also really like him so I'm honestly not asking this out of cruelty or to tease you."

Millicent cut her off, "I've already told them I knocked her in the stomach with my elbow, its why she's so white and breathing a little off."

"Thank you." Daphne nodded, "If you could also go ahead and make sure everyone but Theo has started in to supper, I think all of this is a little overwhelming for her, I know my first society party was and it wasn't a full ball."

Millicent nodded but turned back to Hermione, "You're ok Analise?"

Hermione smiled at her and nodded, "I feel better now, thank you Milly."

"Thank you Millicent." Daphne smiled at her before turning back to Analise.

"Not nice to her?" Hermione questioned.

"Children can be cruel as I'm sure you know, unfortunately from experience I believe you know how cruel a Slytherin child can be. I am sorry for being rude to her and for letting others bully her, all I know about her is what Pansy would say or the other kids, at least until Theo and I started to talk some. He's very fond of her and hopefully she can forgive the child I was." Hermione nodded a gave her a small smile, "Are you really feeling better?"

"Yes." Hermione assured her.

"Analise?"

"Daphne?"

"Theo says you don't want to talk about who you used to be, but we all know the few girls you could have been, I think that happened because someone here hurt you, I was a bully at times but I think its more than any of us having been a bully to you, even Drake who was maybe the worst of us except Gemma Farley and Roy Murton, they were older. Gemma was Prefect our first year and she made Millicent cry almost every night that first month. I felt awful but learned quick being nice to Millicent made Gemma turn on me and Roy treated half-bloods the way Malfoy treated muggleborns, imagine how he was with them." Daphne shook her head, "I'm off course." She looked at Hermione with a sad smile, "Whatever happened to you, I have a feeling that person is related to someone in that room, several someones but clearly one of them helped in someway to hurt you and I'm sorry. I know you don't want to talk about who you were but I don't want you to think you're alone here or that you can't talk to us because you can and if we know who it is we can help you avoid them and if it hints at who you are, who you were, I promise I'd never tell, not even Theo." She smirked, "Slytherins are good at secrets."

Hermione chuckled and nodded wiping at a tear that had escaped, "I was hurt by more than one Death Eater." She sighed, "I don't think I'm ready to face some of them, though they're all locked up, except…"

"Lord Malfoy and Lord Richmond and Lord Parkinson." Daphne nodded, "Drake is one of Theo's good friends but I'll handle it, Lord Richmond isn't much in society and both his children graduated ahead of us and Parkinson, well I try to avoid Pans enough I'm pretty good at it but her father is always in society so we'll see them but I can handle that even better than Malfoy. Don't you worry." Daphne hugged her and Analise struggled not to cry. She took a moment to get herself together when Astoria came in.

"Supper is served." The younger girl sent them a tentative smile and Hermione smiled back at her nodding.

Daphne took her hand as she stood and they walked out, finding a relieved looking Theo waiting in the doorway.

Hermione found herself seated next to Theo and Blaise with Daphne next to Theo and Astoria next to Blaise and Millicent was across from her. The senior Greengrasses on one side and her parents on the other. Hermione smiled softly into her lap and feeling eyes on her sent Theo a reassuring smile before tucking into her soup.

After supper the men went for Firewhiskey and cigars and the women withdrew to the drawing room. Hermione, her arm linked with Daphne, was led outside to a heated veranda. Butterbeer and firewhisky was passed around and the teens seemed to relax, many of them stepping out of heals, which Hermione gratefully copied, ties were loosened and everyone seemed to breath out a sigh of relief and relax.

They all talked and music, fun young music, started playing somewhere. Hermione was surrounded by her new friends, and smirked inwardly at the idea of the two Greengrass girls and Millicent Bulstrode being her friends. Milly chased off anyone who tried to join them except Theo and it seemed only a few minutes before Theo was bringing her to say their goodbyes.

"It's impolite to leave before an hour after supper or I'd have taken you home earlier." Theo explained as they walked to the appartition point.

"I'm fine Theo. I had a lovely time."

He sent her a small smile and tucked a loose hair behind her ear, then apparated them home. The next day they slept in, ate a late breakfast in the kitchen and relaxed with books in the library, they'd have to pack that evening to meet the train back to school in the morning.

Before sleeping Hermione pulled out parchment and wrote to her friends.

 _HRG – Did you have a nice holiday? Mine was lovely. You know it's odd, but I almost felt out of place in the muggle world, at least as out of place as I did in all the pomp and splendor of the pureblood world. I miss home, which no matter the place is wherever you are, I think I'm coming to realize that has been true since we first became friends back in first year. I was always more at home in the wizarding world than the muggle one but I love parts of each and I had the perfect mix of wizarding with just a touch of muggle before. I hope I find that now, even if there is a dash on pureblood tossed in. You know the Slytherins aren't so bad. Ok Pansy is worse than I thought, her voice is shrill and annoying and only gets worse the more you hear it, she's also a right minger. Milly, Millicent Bulstrode, is a wonderful person and I feel like she will be a true friend. The Greengrass girls are kind and smart and I like them both. Daphne has already proved herself a good friend. Blaise Zabini is charming and even apologized for being a prat to muggle borns. I have so much more to tell you of course but what do I write in a letter to explain it all? I liked Theo well enough before holidays but something has changed, I feel as though he has filled something in me I'd never a clue was missing. I feel, well I feel like he is my brother. I know that sounds silly because he is my brother and I knew it before but now, well it really feels like he's my brother, my family, like he's one of you. I hope you all get on once everything is out. I've decided I want to wait for the year to end. I know it's hard for some, not knowing where I am, and the three of you lying for me, I'm so sorry. I just feel like I need this time and I want to write NEWTs before facing the world. I hope you understand and aren't to upset. I miss you terribly. – Love Analise._

Hermione sent of the letter and the next day on the train she found herself alone in a compartment with Milly. It was a very nice train ride as the two girls chatted easily. Theo met her when the train stopped and they shared a carriage with the Greengrass girls. Hermione giggled as it seemed Pansy was left behind when Milly took her spot in a carriage with Blaise and Draco.

It was odd to be back at school, in Ravenclaw. Hermione not only continued to miss Harry and Ron and Ginny but now she missed Theo just as much and despite having Luna she wished sometimes she had Milly, Daphne and Astoria in the common room.

The months seemed to fly by after the holidays with NEWTs fast approaching and Hermione spent most of her time in the library anyways, Theo beside her, Daphne across from him and the fourth chair, across from Hermione, was occupied by Millicent or Luna.

Hermione felt nauseous by the time the exams rolled around and after each one she went over them again and again trying to find any mistakes or anything she missed and obsessing if she found the smallest thing. Finally though the exams were done and she sat down by the lake, at the tree that had always been the trios favorite and missed sharing this with them. So much was different this year and it had been hard for all of them, hard just being back here but not being together, she almost regretted that but as she heard Milly calling her name and turned to look at her waving as she strode over, Hermione couldn't regret the new friends she'd made either.

Daphne joined them with a sigh, gracefully sinking to the ground, "It's over."

"I hope I did alright." Hermione fretted.

"You did brilliantly. The best marks in the year I'd bet." Daphne told her with a small smile.

Hermione smiled and looked away shifting anxiously. "I need to tell you something."

"You can tell us anything Ana." Daphne smiled at her. "You know we're good at keeping secrets, us Slytherins."

"You're more loyal than I ever imagined." Hermione mused.

Daphne nodded looking out over the lake, "We keep our emotions close to the chest but in a society so family based, loyalty is everything."

Hermione nodded, "It's like I'm two people, who I was before I knew and who I am now. Its time to tell people and I don't know how, how to be both."

"You're just you Hermione, any name and any face." Hermione spun on Daphne her face a mask of shock and her mouth hanging open wide.

"You knew?"

Daphne nodded with a small smile, "It took some consideration, the ball was my first clue but it was something we'd all puzzled over before. You being in the war, so very affected by it, I narrowed down the muggleborns at the final battle, the ones still alive." She swallowed, "I knew from Theo you had no muggle family left so that narrowed it down more, then, I watched you. I couldn't be sure at first so then I watched them to confirm it, Harry Potter watches you the most, worries over you but Ginny and Ron are almost as bad and Ronald twice as obvious. They sneak glances at you in the Great Hall, always sitting facing the Ravenclaw table, in classes you sit near each other like magnets you don't seem to pay attention to doing it. By spring break I was certain."

"Does Theo?" Hermione whispered.

Daphne shook her head and then frowned, "Not that he's mentioned to me but then I've not said to him."

"Why?"

Daphne smiled at her, "Because you can trust me Ana."

Hermione nodded biting back tears as she leaned forward and hugged the other girl. They pulled apart and turned to see Milly looking from one of them to the other.

"Ana?" Milly questioned.

Hermione bit back tears and nodded, "You're, you were, are, Granger?" She whispered the last name and Hermione was shocked to see tears in the larger girls eyes as she nodded. "I'm sorry." Milly whispered.

Hermione shook her head, "Why?"

"For how we all were, for everything you went through, its all been in the papers over and over. Even with graduation it was in the Daily Prophet how the brains of Golden Trio wouldn't be graduating with her classmates, still recovering from the war in the muggle world."

Hermione shook her head; "I don't get the Daily Prophet anymore."

"The Golden Trio are still in it every month or so." Daphne shrugged.

The girls talked quietly a while longer until Astoria and Luna joined them. Others followed and the group grew, Hermione glanced over and saw Harry, Ginny and Ron walking by the lake, watching them stroll along she felt a sharp pang in her chest, missing them. As she looked away she caught Daphne's knowing look. Hermione sighed, the sooner she told Theo the sooner she could just go and hug her best mates. Really what she needed was a good hug from them and everything would be ok again. Hermione turned her attention to Theo ignoring Pansy and Draco as they joined the group and Luna wandering off to Neville who'd stopped some feet from the Slytherins to wait for her. Hermione just stared at Theo fighting back waves of emotion. It didn't take long for him to notice, they seemed to be almost on the same wave length all the time now.

"Ana?" Theo questioned gently.

Hermione bit her lip and turned to Daphne, "I can't."

Daphne met her eyes for a minute and then nodded, her face solemn, "Go find your friends. I'm sure Theo, that lots of us, will talk to you later."

Hermione nodded and bit her lip again hesitating and hating her weakness but another look at Theo had her up and practically running towards the Quidditch pitch. Harry spotted her immediately and her three friends were off their brooms almost instantly as the sobbing witch threw herself in their arms.

"I've missed you!" She cried.

"We're here, we've always been here." Ron told her patting her back.

"We missed you to Mione." Harry said hugging her back tightly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Ginny asked gently hugging her friend as well, each of them taking turns before falling into a group, sitting in a circle on the grass, so close their knees all overlapped.

Hermione shook her head, "I chickened out, I tried telling Daphne first and then she already knew and just kept it secret from everyone, even me because she knew I wasn't ready yet and now I've left her to tell them all that I'm me."

At that moment that is exactly what Daphne was doing, she glanced at all of them before meeting Theo's eyes, "I know who she is and I think you do too, if you really think it about."

Theo shook his head not wanting it to be true, of all the muggleborn witches in Hogwarts she had suffered the most, been treated the worst by all of them and then lived through hell in the war, it wasn't fair to her if it was her but he knew, Daphne was right, he knew, "Hermione Granger." He forced himself to say the name.

Astoria gasped and Draco had gone white, Blaise froze into stone and Milly, already having heard but still in shock, shook her head in denial. Pansy snorted and then laughed making Tracey giggle. All of them turned to glare at the two witches, "Potter's mudblood is your sister?" Pansy snickered. Tracey tittered nervously; copying Pansy's lead but nervous at the glares. "That's rich, guess not even they wanted her once she wasn't useful."

"You don't know anything Pansy." Daphne hissed at her housemate.

"Well they haven't been talking." Tracey defended, "We'd all have known then."

"Exactly." Astoria nodded, "She didn't want any of us to know so they stayed away."

"She must have felt so alone." Milly looked ready to cry.

"Don't snivel Millicent it makes you more hideous, and its just Granger you fat cow, who cares."

"Don't speak to her like that." Theo's voice was low, a very dark warning. "And don't speak about my sister at all."

"Milly's prettier than you on her worst days Pans." Draco sneered at her.

Pansy snorted and then smirked, "That's why she's a virgin and I'm your girlfriend then."

"She's a virgin because she isn't a cheap slag and you were never my girlfriend just an easy lay." Draco sneered at her, his haughtiest look in place.

The look on Pansy was priceless as she shrieked and ran off, Tracey looked nervously after her and back to the group.

"We aren't friends, why are you here?" Daphne hissed at her.

"Blaise?" She simpered.

Blaise snorted, "I made a mistake, two years ago Trace, Daph's right besides those snogs and a shared house we aren't friends."

"He means get lost." Milly hissed at her.

"Now." Astoria's voice was polite as she smiled coolly at the other girl. Tracey huffed and hurried after Pansy.

Draco seemed to sink into himself once the altercation was over, "So you have been avoiding me Theo, keeping her away from me."

"The thing at the ball New Years." Theo sighed, "I mentioned you and your dad might ask her to dance since your suit was approved by the families when we were babies." He ran his hand through his hair, "She hyperventilated."

"She was tortured in my house." Draco hissed looking green, "I'm surprised she didn't pass out."

"So you and Blaise were keeping him occupied," Daphne mused, "I had thought it would be harder for me than it was."

"Me too." Milly nodded in agreement, the Malfoy heir was nothing if not stubborn and Analise was beautiful, a mystery and pureblooded.

"So she's Granger." Draco still seemed to be trying to absorb it.

"What do you suppose it means, for her and I?" Theo asked Daphne, his eyes pleading her to somehow fix their past mistakes and prejudices.

Daphne smiled kindly at him, "Nothing Theo, it means nothing different than if her name had been something else. She didn't tell you so you could get to know each other without that history and without the whole world watching and pressuring."

"She couldn't even tell me." He looked worriedly in the direction she had run off.

"I don't think she could bare to see your reaction to who she was." Daphne answered gently.

"She still feels like two people." Astoria nodded. "Hermione and Analise. We have to show her its ok."

"Why wouldn't it be ok?" Milly frowned.

"Her old life and our lives, never really meshed." Daphne tried to explain.

"Muggleborn aside there was Potter and the Weasley's, none of us got on with them, I mean not just Potter being Potter but the Weasley's were never society." Astoria added.

"That's past though." Milly frowned, "She's still Ana, or Hermione, or whatever she wants to be called, she's still her, our friend, their friend, its different now, maybe we can all be friends."

"Not likely." Draco snorted and then held his hands up, "They all have good reason to hate me."

"You be the outcast for a while then." Milly glared at him, "See how it feels to be at the bottom."

Draco glared back and then nodded, "I owe you an apology don't I?"

Millicent snorted, "Saying that to Pansy made my damn year but yes, I think you do."

"I'm sorry for how I used to treat you Millicent, Theo is right, you are a great person. We never gave you credit for being smart but you are and you aren't a great lumbering ox or any of the other things I called you. We hexed you and teased you for being clumsy and bullied you for being… different but I did mean that to Pansy, Milly, when you smile you are really quite beautiful."

"Thank you." Milly whispered looking away from him.

"So how do we show Ana, she can have both lives?" Blaise broke the silence.

"Same way Daph did." Astoria suggested.

"What?" Daphne frowned at her sister. "We act like we don't know?"

"Sort of." Astoria nodded, "I mean we act as if she's still just Ana."

"Like we knew all along and don't care?" Milly questioned.

"Right, only we also try to make nice with her friends."

The group quickly agreed and relaxed in the grass as they talked.

"Theo?" Milly questioned.

"Yeah?"

"Or Daph, maybe?"

"What is it Milly?" Astoria urged the hesitating girl to speak.

"Do we call her Granger, I mean Hermione or Ana?"

"Until she says otherwise I think we call her Analise." Blaise offered.

"I agree." Daphne nodded.

"I'd have trouble calling her something else." Theo sighed "but if she says she wants her old name, I'll let you all know."

It was almost dark by the time the four friends stood up on the Quidditch pitch and walked back to the castle arm in arm. Many students saw and whispered about it and Pansy raging the truth had it spread quickly, in the school, among the staff, to families in letters and by morning it was all over and reporters showed up at the gates for Hogwarts graduation.

Hermione paced nervously in the Great Hall and was relieved when all her friends joined her, Luna, Daphne, Astoria, Milly and Ginny. She was so happy she could burst as the girls all chatted easily.

Molly Weasley led the clan in as families arrived and her friends pealed off to say hello. Hermione was wrapped in the matriarch's arms in a tight hug, "We missed you at holidays." She told the girl.

"It's a mess out there. You'd think someone famous was graduating today." George teased hugging her as his mum moved on to her other three graduating children. She was passed on to Arthur, Bill, Fleur and even Charlie. Percy shook her hand and introduced her to his wife, Penelope. Seeing him alone watching her, Hermione hurried over to Theo and hugged him.

"It's hard to believe this day is here." She whispered.

"I know." He agreed hugging her back tightly, "How's the reunion?"

"Good." She smiled fondly over at the red headed clan as Harry walked over and held out his hand.

"Theo."

"Harry." Theo nodded and took his hand with a smile; impressed he'd not called him Nott as they would previously have.

Hermione giggled and kissed both their cheeks, "Both my brothers." She explained laughing, "Now we need Milly and you'll have both your sisters."

Theo nodded with a grin as Milly walked over, the crowd parting for her. "Parents went to sit." She shrugged.

Hermione laughed and hugged her before nudging Theo to do the same, not used to much affection before she began hugging him all the time theirs didn't last long but Milly seemed to shine with happiness.

"Harry this is Milly." Hermione beamed at them.

"Hi Milly." Harry grinned his dopey grin and rolled his eyes at Ron who was hollering for them.

"Come on Ana." Harry tugged her arm, "I was sent to get you for a Weasley family photo."

"Right." Hermione smiled back at her brother and friend, "Back in a tick."

"Ana." Theo sighed, not realizing he spoke aloud.

"They call her that too now." Milly agreed.

Later during graduation when her name rang out, everyone held their breath glancing at each other, "Analise Hermione Granger Nott." The Headmistress had called. Ana stood smiling and went up to get her parchment hugging her Headmistess quickly before taking her seat.

"Long name." Blaise teased.

"Analise Hermione" she whispered back, "But it's Nott now, they just added the Granger for dramatic effect." Daphne snickered from his other side.

"Last names change all the time anyways." Astoria winked at her and Hermione sat back in her seat with a blush to watch the rest of her peers get their diploma's. Graduation marked the end of something, childhood. For them, that had been long lost. Graduation didn't mark the end, it marked the beginning, no more war, no more fear and no more division. It marked the start of their lives.


End file.
